Armageddon was also confirmed to be among the many planets that players will wage unending war over in Total War: Warhammer 40,000.
Signups for the closed beta of Total War: Warhammer 40,000, the highly-anticipated entry of the classic Total War RTS series into the grimdark universe of Warhammer 40,000, are now open. Players interested in signing up for the closed beta can head over to the official Total War: Warhammer 40,000 website.
Developer Creative Assembly announced the news as part of a developer interview during PC Gaming Show 2026, where they also revealed new gameplay footage featuring the Astra Militarum and Orks engaged in massive battles in the world of Armageddon.
Total War: Warhammer 40,000
Release date: TBA
Platforms: PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Developer: Creative Assembly
Total War: Warhammer 40,000 showcase Astra Militarum and Ork units in new gameplay footage
Creative Assembly talked about the direction and scope they're taking for Total War: Warhammer 40,000 this week, confirming that the world of Armageddon will be among the planets players can wage war in. Armageddon is also notably the setting for the opening conflict for the 11th edition of the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop game, set to launch on 20 June.
The Astra Militarum (aka the Imperial Guard) and the Orks will be the two principal factions waging war in Armageddon among the four factions included in Total War: Warhammer 40,000 at launch. Of course, you can expect the Space Marines to be there too, but the fighting men and women of the Imperium take the spotlight this time around. Aside from the Space Marines, Astra Militarum, and Orks, the other faction available in the game at launch will be the Aeldari (though there's no real reason for them to be in Armageddon).
Creative Assembly also confirmed two fan-favourite characters will be featured in Total War: Warhammer 40,000 as faction leaders: Commissar Yarrick for the Astra Militarum and Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thrakka for the Orks.
While the developers also touched on how they want to implement battle and campaign mechanics to fit in with the existing lore of Warhammer 40,000, we all know what everyone has been really looking forward to is seeing some units. And so far, what Creative Assembly has shown is looking very promising.
Creative Assembly showed a lot of the units that will be featured in the Astra Militarum roster. These range from the rank-and-file soldiers represented by Cadian Shock Troops, Kasrkin, and Ogryns led by Commissars, to armoured vehicles like the Leman Russ and Rogal Dorn-type tanks as well as the Sentinel walkers. And yes, that is the mighty Baneblade tank to anchor the Imperial lines.
Concept art of the Primaris Psyker was also shown, serving as a powerful support unit for the Astra Militarum that can harness the powers of the Warp when a barrage of lasgun and cannon fire isn't enough.
While Creative Assembly have yet to dive into how they will merge the squad-based unit gameplay of tabletop Warhammer 40,000 to that of Total War, the gameplay footage they showed did have plenty of shots of Imperial Guardsmen firing from cover. We can't expect regular humans without the genetic alterations that turn Space Marines into superhumans to just stand out in the open and tank a charge from an Ork horde now, can we?
While we didn't get as close of a look at the Ork units, we did see vast hordes of Ork Boyz and Gretchin, as well as Stormboyz diving into the fray with their signature Rokkit Packs. The green tide brought its fair share of armoured might too, with packs of Deff Dreads charging through Imperial lines and huge Stompas, well, stomping through the battlefield.
If, like us, you can't wait to see more of what Total War: Warhammer 40,000 has to offer, you can sign up for the closed beta through the official Total War: Warhammer 40,000 website.
